Page 82 of Safe in His Arms

“Don’t move,” he said gently. “We’ve got a stretcher coming for you. You’ll be airlifted to Waikato Hospital. I’ll come, too. The doctors will help, and we’ll need to take your statement and collect evidence so we can nail that bastard in court.”

She nodded, but what she really wanted was to see Tione.

“Tee?” she asked, hoping he’d understand.

The thunk-thunk-thunk of helicopter blades and the blast of air through the open door signaled the arrival of the medical chopper.

Elliot turned away from her and called, “Bates, find Tione.” To Megan, he said, “We’ll get him, sweetheart.”

Two paramedics entered, carrying a stretcher between them. One of them, a woman with a tight braid and a friendly but detached expression, knelt beside her. “Hey there,” she said. “I’m Debbie. What’s your name?”

“Megan.”

“Nice to meet you, Megan.” Her partner moved to Megan’s feet and palpated her legs. She tried not to make a sound, but damn, it hurt. “Sara and I are going to lift you onto the stretcher, okay? You don’t need to do anything. It might be painful, but we’ll be as careful as we can. Do we have your permission to do that?”

“Yes.” Talking hurt. Her throat had been bruised in the assault.

The two women supported her back and legs, and heaved her onto the stretcher. Megan gasped, but bit her tongue so she didn’t swear at them when they were only trying to help.

“Tee?” she asked again, to the room at large.

“Bates!” Elliot yelled.

Officer Bates stuck his head in the door. “No sign of him, boss. Desta says he was taken to the station to give a statement and discuss whether he’d face any charges.”

Panic spiked through her. “Charges?” She reached for Elliot, but fell short. “Why would he face charges?”

Bates didn’t seem to sense her distress. “Unlawful possession of a weapon. Assault with a deadly weapon.”

“But he was protecting me!” Her inflamed throat protested as she spoke louder, but she went on. “Please, don’t do anything to him. I want to see him. Can you—”

“Don’t worry yourself,” Elliot soothed. “We’ll work it all out. You just focus on healing, and answering questions. I promise you’ll see him again soon.”

Megan’s chest tightened, and her skin heated. She wanted Tione. Why had he left? Why wasn’t he here?

Lying back on the stretcher, she stared up at nothing as the paramedics began to move her to the helicopter. Perhaps he didn’t know how much she wanted him with her. Perhaps he thought she hated him. She wished that everything would just make sense for once.

30

At Waikato Hospital,Megan was X-rayed, photographed, poked and prodded to the edge of sanity. If not for the pain medication, she’d have begged them to leave her alone hours ago. The doctors reported that her ribs were broken, but would likely heal on their own. Otherwise, none of her injuries were serious. She’d bruise like hell, but Charles hadn’t done any permanent damage. She could have told them as much. The only permanent damage was to her peace of mind.

She talked Elliot through the events of the day, and he recorded the interview, then she repeated the entire story to Faith, who’d driven from Haven Bay. Now, Faith sat beside the bed, holding her hand, while Elliot jotted notes on a notepad. Faith had been crying. Eyeliner ran down her cheeks, her nose was red, and she’d apologized a million times.

“I’m so, so sorry,” she moaned. “I should have checked on you sooner. I can’t believe I let this happen.”

Once again, Megan squeezed her hand to reassure her. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“Tell that to my conscience. I feel responsible.” She plumped Megan’s pillow and fussed with her blanket, drawing it up to cover her shoulders. Megan wasn’t cold, but the actions calmed Faith, so she didn’t say anything.

Elliot tucked his pen into his pocket, and Megan asked him the question that had been on her mind since they began the interview. “How did you find me?”

The officer cleared his throat. “A tip from Tione.”

“Oh.” That raised another slew of questions. “How did he know where I was?”

Elliot gave her a pointed look. “I don’t know, and I’d rather not ask, if you get my meaning.” With that, he stood and strode to the door. “Take care, Megan.”

Then he left them alone in the hospital room.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com